The present invention relates to a system and method for controlling a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine having electronically controlled airflow to provide a similar output torque characteristic under varying engine conditions.
Various engine control strategies have been developed to compensate for changes in available engine power or torque due to ambient conditions, such as temperature and barometric pressure. When driving a vehicle at high altitude, for example, conventional mechanical throttle control systems would seem sluggish or underpowered compared to sea level or lower altitudes across the entire range of accelerator pedal positions. This also created challenges in calibrating shift points for automatic transmissions, which were often based on accelerator pedal position, because the same pedal position resulted in a different output torque depending upon the ambient operating conditions.